Islam Slimani has hailed Riyad Mahrez as the greatest Algerian footballer of all time, delivering both glowing praise and a sobering outlook on the future of Algerian football talent.
The veteran striker, now 37 and playing for Belgian side Westerlo, shared his reflections during an appearance on the Kampo podcast, hosted by journalist Smaïl Bouabdellah.
Reflecting on a career intertwined with Mahrez’s across club and international football, Slimani described the Al-Ahli winger as a uniquely gifted figure in Algerian football history—one unlikely to be surpassed.
Between 2014 and 2024, Slimani and Mahrez featured together in 107 matches: 70 for Algeria and 37 during their stint at Leicester City from 2016 to 2018.
Their time in England followed remarkable seasons for both players: Slimani had propelled Sporting CP to a domestic cup and super cup double in Portugal with 31 goals and six assists in 46 appearances, while Mahrez had just guided Leicester to a historic Premier League title, earning the Premier League Player of the Year award in the process.
While their on-field connection at Leicester never fully lived up to expectations, Slimani’s admiration for Mahrez’s talent has only deepened with time.
Islam Slimani sur le niveau de Riyad Mahrez PRIME 🇩🇿💫 :
« Mahrez, ce qu’il a fait en Angleterre, aucun autre Algérien ne le refera. J’étais là, quand on jouait, même avant qu’il contrôle le ballon, les adversaires avaient peur de lui, même après la saison où Leicester était… pic.twitter.com/XmNByXA5XB
— ⭐️ Squadra Khadra 🇩🇿 (@Squadra213) June 20, 2025
“Mahrez, what he did in England, no other Algerian will do it again,” Slimani declared. “I was there when we played. Even before he controlled the ball, the opponents were afraid of him.”
The forward pointed to Mahrez’s 2015–16 Player of the Year accolade as irrefutable evidence of his stature, emphasising the unique honour of being voted the league’s best by fellow professionals.
“Being elected player of the year in the Premier League, it’s not the journalists who vote, it’s the players. There is no influence: they knew he was the strongest. He was at Leicester and he was elected player of the year. Ask a player from Sheffield to do that… Nobody! It doesn’t exist.”
Slimani concluded his tribute by asserting Mahrez’s unmatched legacy: “He was just incredible, the best Algerian player in history!”
While the tribute is likely to resonate warmly with Mahrez himself, Slimani’s commentary also carried a note of pessimism, warning that Algerian football may not witness such brilliance again soon.
